This slide set focuses on the first discovery of an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star. It is one of a series of short, topical presentations on new developments from NASA astrophysics missions, relevant to introductory astronomy topics....(View More) These resources are intended to help instructors include the latest discoveries (not yet in their textbooks) into their courses. The slide sets are constructed to be easily included as a lecture supplement including synopsis, references, and graphics.(View Less)

This slide set focuses on the discovery of a massive dust cloud in a supernova remnant. It is one of a series of short, topical presentations on new developments from NASA astrophysics missions, relevant to introductory astronomy topics. These...(View More) resources are intended to help instructors include the latest discoveries (not yet in their textbooks) into their courses. The slide sets are constructed to be easily included as a lecture supplement including synopsis, references, and graphics.(View Less)

This slide set focuses on the discovery of debris belts around Vega. It is one of a series of short, topical presentations on new developments from NASA astrophysics missions, relevant to introductory astronomy topics. These resources are intended...(View More) to help instructors include the latest discoveries (not yet in their textbooks) into their courses. The slide sets are constructed to be easily included as a lecture supplement including synopsis, references, and graphics.(View Less)

Students will learn about the Spitzer Infrared Observatory and a recently observed dust ring around Saturn through reading a NASA press release and viewing a NASA video segment. Then students will use scientific notation to perform calculations to...(View More) understand the size, mass, and volume of dust and the new dust ring. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts are identified. This activity is part of the Space Math multi-media modules that integrate NASA press releases, NASA archival video, and mathematics problems targeted at specific math standards commonly encountered in middle school textbooks. The modules cover specific math topics at multiple levels of difficulty with real-world data and use the 5E instructional sequence.(View Less)

This series of short articles details the discovery and subsequent impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter. The impending impact created quite a buzz among scientists since it marked the first of its kind. Student may work independently or in...(View More) small groups to complete each article. It may also be done as a teacher-directed activity in the classroom. This module is a part of the online exploration "Planet Impact!" Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title pages of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards.(View Less)